Arts, Briefly

Compiled by Steven McElroy

Published: August 3, 2006

You Can't Fire Me, Michael Jackson; I Quit

The Wachtel & Masyr law firm has withdrawn from a case in which it was defending the perennially beleaguered Michael Jackson, right, The Associated Press reported, but Mr. Jackson said he had already fired the firm weeks ago. In a letter to Judge P. Kevin Castel of United States District Court in Manhattan, William Wachtel wrote that his firm had not been paid and had been unable to get in touch with Mr. Jackson. ''Mr. Jackson has failed to respond to every e-mail and telephone message left for him over the past four weeks,'' Mr. Wachtel wrote. A letter from Mr. Jackson to the firm, though, dated July 17 and faxed to The Associated Press, said, ''It is with deep regret that I must terminate the services of Wachtel & Masyr, LLP, effective immediately.'' Judge Castel gave Mr. Jackson permission to reorganize his legal team with the requirement that his new lawyer be in court on Sept. 5. In the current case, the Prescient Acquisition Group says that Mr. Jackson owes it $48 million for helping him refinance $272.5 million in debt owed to the Bank of America and arranging $537.5 million in financing related to his ownership interest in the Beatles song library.

On Philadelphia Stages

Wilma Theater in Philadelphia will produce the world premiere of ''Enemies, a Love Story,'' by Isaac Bashevis Singer, in a stage adaptation by the playwright and novelist Sarah Schulman (''Manic Flight Reaction''), beginning Feb. 7. Jiri Zizka, a co-artistic director of the theater, is to direct. The Wilma's 2006-7 season begins Oct. 4 with Martin McDonagh's ''Pillowman.'' The nearby Philadelphia Theater Company has announced that the Tony Award-winning actor and clown Bill Irwin (''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf''), above, will develop a new work, ''The Happiness Lecture,'' for its 2007-8 season. The theater was awarded a $160,000 grant by Philadelphia Theater Initiative, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, and will use the money to support workshops of ''The Happiness Lecture'' during the 2006-7 season and a full production the next season, when it will move to the Suzanne Roberts Theater on the Avenue of the Arts.

Well-Decorated Spot For an All-Night Party

Citizens of Cincinnati will be able to have a party all night long on Saturday, at the museum of course. The Cincinnati Art Museum is celebrating its 125th anniversary with a ''25-hour day,'' beginning at 4 p.m. on Saturday. It will give visitors a ''rare chance'' to see the ''museum in the wee hours,'' Stephen Bonadies, the museum's interim co-director, said in a statement. Among the events on the agenda are ghost tours, scavenger hunts, live performances and hourly tours on various topics. The museum features a collection of more than 60,000 works and also plays host to national and international traveling exhibitions each year. Information: cincinnatiartmuseum.org

Footnotes

''Jesus Christ Superstar,'' the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, will have a one-night revival on Aug. 13 at the Ricardo Montalban Theater in Hollywood as a benefit for YouTHeatre-America!, an organization devoted to encouraging creative skills and artistic expression in people ages 12 to 21. Among the cast are Yvonne Elliman, who originated the role of Mary Magdalene on Broadway in 1971, and Ted Neeley, who has played the role of Jesus more than 1,700 times. To celebrate what would be the birthday of John Coltrane, who was born on Sept. 23, 1926, Jazz at Lincoln Center is holding a three-day festival in both the Rose Theater and the Allen Room Sept. 14 through 16. Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra will perform Coltrane favorites, including ''My Favorite Things'' and ''A Love Supreme.''